Apprentice days
by ventus101
Summary: A collection of drabbles and oneshots taking place during Robin's apprenticeship. Requests are welcome.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So I decided that since I suck at keeping to stories, I'd try to do some oneshots based on Robin's days as Slade's apprentice. Feel free to share some ideas!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I own nothing.

Ground rules.

He was cold, bitterly so. That was the first thing he became aware of when he regained consciousness. The second thing he did was slowly edge his hands up to his face, feeling for the familiar fabric that was his mask. He let out a breath he was unaware that he was holding when his fingers met the material. With great difficultly Robin forced his eyelids opened, his struggles indicated to him that he had been drugged. But by who? Well, he couldn't remember much of the previous day, another indication he had been drugged.

He soon realised he was on the floor, the cool surface pressing against his cheek. He lifted his head slightly to look around: A pointless gesture. He was surrounded in utter darkness, so much so that even one as used to working in darkness couldn't make out anything through the black abyss. Not only was he in a freezing, overcast room: He was in a freezing, overcast and silent room. It wasn't the peaceful quiet. No, it was quiet the opposite, it was like the calm before the storm.\it was suffocating. Nothing good was going to happen.

Every aspect of his situation was unsettling. Every voice in the back of his head screamed at him to run. He felt like a small child again. Alone in his bedroom on a stormy night, seeking the reassurance that everything would be alright. Every time he had been in a predicament such as his current one, his mentor had always been there to save him, and Robin always knew that. Alas, Robin wasn't in Gotham anymore. Batman was not there to save him this time.

He still had his friends. His team. They would find him, right?

Did he really want them to?

He was Robin: The boy wonder. The fearless, unyielding leader of the Teen Titans. He shouldn't need saving. What would they think if they had to rescue him? Would they critique him? Would they take him seriously? Would they believe in him?

No. He had to get out of this himself. Not only for his team, but for himself.

Any moment now, his captor would waltz in and beat him to a pulp. Torture him until he begged for mercy or gave up whatever information they wanted. Robin wouldn't give in though. He wouldn't give any information and he wouldn't beg. He never had. He never would either. He would remain strong.

Always.

He thought as he forced himself up onto his hands and knees. He didn't seem to be restrained. That was good, albeit a little insulting. Clearly his captor didn't perceive him as a threat. He lowered himself down so he was sitting backwards on his legs. He tried to adjust his eyes to the darkness to no avail. He could still see absolutely nothing. The best he could do was focus on his hearing.

He wasn't sure how long he had been sat there before he heard movement. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? He couldn't be sure. The movement was soon followed by a blinding light that flooded in when a door opened. He raised his hand to shield his eyes as he looked at the doorway, It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the change of light intensity.

His blood instantly went cold when his eyes settled on the figure leaning against the door frame. The man in black and orange who haunted so many of his dreams. The Enigma. The man Robin couldn't catch. The case the junior detective couldn't solve.

"Slade."

The man took a step forward, his metal boots echoing against the ground as he walked. It took all of Robin's self control to not back away from the man towering above him.

"Robin." The smirk was evident in the man's voice as he spoke his name. He was relishing in the control he held over the situation. "You're awake. Good."

The man clasped his hands behind his back as he studied Robin as if he was some kind of specimen. Robin's eyes narrowed and he jumped up to attack the man, though as soon as he got to he feet, his legs gave out from under him. If Slade's hand hadn't shot out to grip his forearm, he would have fallen flat on his face,

"I wouldn't do that, you're still under the influence of the sedative I gave you. We wouldn't want you injuring yourself now, would we?" The man mused as he pulled Robin back up and steadied him with a firm hold.

Robin instantly pulled away from Slade. Well, tried to. No matter how much his struggled against him, the man's grip was relentless. Unable to free himself, he instead chose to hit Slade with the fiercest glare he could muster, wishing more than anything that in that moment he had heat vision.

"What. Do. You. Want?" The boy asked, enunciating each word with venom.

"I want a lot of things, Robin." The man said calmly as if he was talking to a small child, fuelling Robin's rage.

_How dare he treat me like a child!_

Robin thought with a dark scowl.

"With _me." _

The man finally released Robin, allowing him to rub his arm, and clasped his hands behind his back. He slowly began to circle the boy.

"Nothing unreasonable, Robin, I assure you." The man said, pausing for effect. "All I want is your loyalty and compliance. Give me these and your stay here shall be rather pleasant."

"What?" Robin asked, dumbfounded. Surely he had misunderstood Slade.

The man seemed almost smug, having to explain himself to Robin. He was enjoying it.

"You see, I've been looking for an apprentice for sometime now, and Robin, I've chosen you." He stopped in behind Robin and leaned forward, so that Robin could practically feel his breath against his neck. "Congratulations."

Robin's eyes widened for a brief second before narrowing. He didn't know whether to be honoured or disgusted. He had practically had to beg Batman to allow him to be Robin. Slade was _offering._ He wanted Robin to be his partner. He noticed his skill but…he was a criminal.

He shook his head and plastered a cocky smirk on his face.

"Thanks for the offer Slade, but I have to decline on the grounds of you being a psychopath." He said as he moved towards the doorway. "I'll let myself out."

He barely took a step forward before he was roughly tugged back by his cape. The force was enough to send him stumbling into the man.

"I never said you had a choice in the matter, Robin."

Robin shook his head and turned around to face him.

"You can't keep-"

"Can't I, Robin?" Slade cut him off, his voice as unnervingly calm as ever. "You have no Idea where we are. I'll tell you this though. We aren't in Jump City anymore."

Robin fell silent, in that second his whole world came crashing down. He was alone. With Slade. With no idea where he was. He wanted nothing more than to beat the man to a pulp but he just didn't have the energy thanks to the sedative. Besides, even without the drug in his system he didn't stand a chance against the man.

He was so screwed.

He felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder and instantly tried to shrug it off, though once again, he found the man's grip to be unyielding. He was quickly steered out of the room.

"I'm going to give you a short tour of where you are allowed in the compound. If I don't show you an area or you find it is locked, assume you are not allowed in there. Any attempt to enter these areas will be met with punishment. Am I understood?"

"How about we skip straight to the exit?"

Apparently Slade hadn't appreciated his comment as he was met with a sharp cuff to the back of the head, momentarily causing his vision to blur.

"Am I understood?" He repeats, sternly as if reprimanding a small child.

"Yeah…whatever."

He received another cuff to the back of the head even harder than before. He let out a quiet grunt.

"We'll go over the rules later. For now, try and keep that smart mouth of yours under control, hm?"

Rules? Robin didn't intend to stay long enough to hear Slade's rules. Besides, why should he obey Slade? The man had kidnapped him for crying out loud! The man seemed to get a thrill out of patronising Robin, treating Robin like a small disobedient child. The mere thought of that made him grit his teeth. He left Gotham for that reason. To be free to live his own life. Now it seemed like he was caged again by another all knowing adult who claimed to know what was best for him. He was fifteen, not five.

He was led along the hallway and down the stairs. He was shocked at what he saw. He had been expecting some sort of dungeon. Dark and gloomy rooms were nowhere in sight. It was quite the opposite. Despite the lack of natural light the downstairs of the compound seemed warm and…dare he say it, homely.

He was pushed through the entrance of a large open plan area consisting of a kitchen, dining area and lounge. It didn't feel right. It was giving him the impression that Slade was human and he didn't like that. He always saw Slade as the monster that hid under his bed. That haunted the darkest corners of his mind. He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of a new voice. Someone else was here?

"Hello, young man."

He looked over to see an old man in the kitchen, humming happily to himself as he chopped vegetables. He was smiling warmly at Robin as if he was a guest rather than a prisoner. Robin had always been taught to use good manners so although he didn't return the smile, he responded politely.

"Hello, Sir."

"Dinner will be ready soon."

"Robin, this is an old friend of mine, William Wintergreen."

Robin couldn't prevent the snicker that escaped his lips. He turned to Slade with a smirk.

"_You _have _friends?_" The man narrows his eye and Robin turns back to Wintergreen. "Please, Mr Wintergreen, if he's holding you here against-"

He was cut off by a sharp backhand to the left cheek. The force behind it was incredible, almost knocking him off his feet. It probably would have done, if Slade's other hand hadn't been clamped around his forearm.

"Robin and I need to go over some ground rules, Will. I'll try to be done in time for dinner."

William sent them both a disapproving look, but Robin had little chance to dwell on it. Soon, Slade had slid his hand down to his wrist and bent his arm painfully behind his back. He winced as pain exploded through his arm.

"Ow! Let go of me you freak." He yelled through pained gasps.

Slade's only response to Robin's comment was jerking his am slightly further to almost breaking point.

"Walk." He spoke in a deadly whisper. Despite not wanting to take orders from Slade, he had little choice. There was no doubt in his mind that if he refused the man, he would break his arm, and while Robin had a high tolerance to pain, he would rather not have his arm snapped.

He paid little attention to where he was being led. Any amount of resistance on his part, was met with him increasing the pressure on his arm ever so slightly. It soon got to the point where the pain was unbearable, Robin stopped resisting, allowing the man to lead him along.

It wasn't long before Robin heard the sound of a metal door opening. Soon after, he was sent crashing to the cold, hard ground. He didn't get chance to comprehend the attack before he felt a steel boot connect with his ribs, and heard a sickening crack as several ribs were cracked. Slade certainly hadn't held back.

_Well…there go some ribs._

He grunted and curled up slightly, wrapping his arm around his chest to protect the area from further attack.

"Rule number one," The man spoke in a calm voice, clasping both hands behind his back. "You will speak to both Mr Wintergreen and myself with respect."

Robin looked up in disbelief, wincing as the sharp movement eliciting pain in his chest.

"Y-you…K-kidnapped me and…y-you expect me to…respect you? G-get real, Slade…"

He was met with a punch to the stomach causing him to double over in pain.

_Jeez, that hurt._

"You will address me as Sir or Master."

Master? He had to be kidding right? Calling him master was derogatory. Robin wasn't a slave. He was his own man. There was no way in hell he'd call Slade his master. He narrowed his eyes as he leapt up, ignoring the searing pain in his chest, and aimed his fist at Slade. The man, of course, caught it with ease.

"As I said before, any attempt to leave will be met with punishment." He glanced down at Robin's clenched fist with disapproval and shook his head. "The same goes for disobedience and disrespect."

"Screw you." He spat out through gritted teeth.

The man, once again, twisted his arm, causing him to cry out.

"No cussing." He reprimanded.

"G-go to hell." He said with a wince, being too stubborn to comply.

He was then slammed into the wall, the man's hand wrapped tightly around his throat, cutting off his supply of oxygen. He struggled at first, but the man only tightened his grip. Black spots invaded his vision and he went slack against the wall.

"You are to be up, dressed and in the dining room by 7AM…"

Robin zoned out during Slade's speech, through both lack of interest and oxygen. Slade had been chocking him the whole time. When he finally released him, he took in a deep gulp of air, filling his lungs.

"Am I clear?"

_Crap…what did he say?_

He racked his brain for Slade's words but couldn't recall them. Not that he cared. With nothing else to say, he spat out a snaky comment that was bound to end badly.

"Clear as mud."

With that, his head connected with the wall with great force and he was soon engulfed by darkness.

SLADE WILSON

Slade caught the boy before he hit the floor and lifted him into his arms with an exasperated sigh. Slade didn't enjoy hurting him. Not in the least, but it was the only way to make him listen. He was to headstrong for his own good.

Blasted brat. Didn't he see the opportunity he had been given? Most would kill for it. But Slade didn't want _most._ He wanted Richard Grayson-yes he knew the boy's name. He'd figured it out a long time ago. It was his respect for the kid that kept his mouth closed.

He headed to the boy's room-not the cell he had awoken in, passing William on the way.

"Robin won't be joining us for dinner." He said, ignoring the disapproving look he was being given.

He entered the boy's room, laying him down on the bed. He headed into the bathroom, grabbing a first aid kit from the bathroom cabinet before walking back to Robin's side. He carefully lifted him, and pulled his shirt up, wrapping his chest tightly with a bandage, to help with the healing process.

He lifted him again, pulling the covers down before setting him down again. He pulled it back over the boy's sleeping form. Slade turned to leave, stopping at the sound of Robin's breathing. It was slightly laboured, due to his broken ribs. Hearing the boy suffer almost made him guilty.

_Almost._

The kid had brought it on himself. He had been warned. Slade needed to break his stubborn streak. If he needed to do that by breaking him like a wild horse then so be it.

He spared his apprentice one last glance before leaving the room.

Tomorrow would be a new day.

**A/N so, review, follow and favourite. I am accepting requests for one shots based around Slade and Robin during the apprenticeship and I will do anything other than slash.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: So I think I might make this a story rather than a collection of one-shots. What do you think?**

**Also keep the ideas coming, I'll use them in late chapters.**

Chapter 2

Robin woke up fairly early that morning. His head was pounding as if he had been run over by a bulldozer. It took him a while to realise, that he wasn't far off. He remembered Slade. He remembered _Pissing _Slade off. He remembered being hit a lot. Then everything went dark.

_Wait…I'm with Slade!?_

He bolted upright, instantly regretting it as he was hit by a wave of nausea. Was the room supposed to be spinning? He doubted it. He had been in a lot of rooms, and none of them span.

Right at that moment, he didn't care _where _he was, his overwhelming dizziness urged him to lay back down and bury his head under the pillow. For a evil sociopath, Slade sure did have luxurious furniture. The bed he was in was a lot softer than the one back at the tower. He could easily fall back to sleep.

He must have done, because the next thing he knew, he was being pulled out of his slumber by the voice of his arch enemy. Not that he comprehended him out the time. He simply rolled over and told the man to go away.

He could blame that on the fact he was half-asleep, but in all truthfulness, he would have told the man, using more colourful words, to go away.

Robin was hit by an outbreak of cold air, as Slade yanked him out of bed by his ankle. It was too quick for him to even fathom, as he was sent to the ground in a heap.

He felt the man's presence above him as he crouched down to grab a handful of Robin's hair, causing him to grunt slightly. He pulled Robins head back until the boy was looking him in the eye.

"You have half an hour to get up, washed, and dressed before meeting me in the dining room for breakfast." The man pointed to a door at the side of the room. "Your Bathroom is through there, and the dining room is straight down the hall on your right."

He released Robin and headed for the door.

"There are clothes in the dresser," He paused as he headed to the door. "Don't make me come back here to fetch you. You won't like the consequences." He said nonchalantly as he exited the room, leaving Robin alone.

The boy remained where he was for a few moments before pushing himself up. At least his headache had subsided for the most part, he thought as he headed to the dresser. He opened all the drawers and looked inside. He grabbed a pair of casual jeans and an orange T-shirt. Of course Slade had filled the thing with his colours. He also took a pair of socks and underwear.

He made his way into the bathroom, holding the clothes under his arm. He sets them down on a small washing basket before making to lock the door….of course there wasn't a lock. He approached the mirror to the side of the room and frowned at his reflection. The left side of his face was partially bruised and the hair gel had worn out of his hair, and was no hanging limply on his head.

With a sigh, he began to strip out of his Robin costume, including the mask and stepped in the shower. He turned the valve and sighed as the hot water hit his skin. It felt good against his abused skin, already soothing the newly formed bruises.

He applied a dollop of shampoo to the palm of his hands and worked it through his raven hair. He quickly rinsed it out, and washed is body before getting out. He wanted to be quick in case Slade barged in.

He grabbed a white fluffy towel and dried himself off, before rapidly dressing himself in the casual attire. He looked in the mirror again, and placed his mask over his eyes before proceeding to ruffle his hair with the towel. He hated his hair lying flat, so at least he had achieved some sort of messy look.

He walked over to pick up his discarder uniform, and dropped both that, and the towel in the washing basket before exiting the room.

He hesitated as he reached the door leading to the hallway. He really didn't want to go out there, but he really didn't want Slade to come in and drag him out. The man would _not be happy._ Besides, he wasn't going to be able to escape if he stayed in his room shaped prison.

Taking a deep breath, he turned the door knob and stepped out of the room and into the hallway. Slade had told him to head down the hall on his right, which instantly sparked his curiosity for what lay down the left. He looked down there and found himself taking a few steps in that direction before he stopped himself. He would check it out later. When Slade wasn't waiting for him.

Steering himself to the opposite direction, Richard entered the dining room area. There was another door leading out of the kitchen. That must have been the way they entered the Kitchen the day before.

"Sit."

He hadn't even crossed the threshold before the man was telling him what to do. He lifted his gaze towards him to, intending to glare at the man. He wasn't met with the familiar black and orange mask he was so used to.

He was met with the sight of a middle aged man with snowy white hair complete with matching goatee and a black eye patch covering his right eye. He didn't realise his jaw had dropped until the man had scolded him for gaping.

"I said _sit._" The man repeated emphasising the last word.

Reluctantly, Robin sat at one of the set seats. The one on Slade's left. He was still in shock that the man wasn't wearing his mask. It was as if, Robin wasn't worth concealing his identity. Despite his attempts to avoid eye contact with the man, though he constantly found himself staring,

"My identity is no secret Robin. You already know my first name." He said conversationally.

"Then why wear a mask?" Robin countered, though he was genuinely curious.

"Why wear a mask, hmm?" The man mused and paused for a few moments. " I wear a mask because it's a symbol, my boy. This mask is the last thing people see when I'm sent after them. People see this mask and they know fear."

"You wear it just to intimidate people? That's just sick." Robin spat out.

"In your opinion, maybe, but your opinion doesn't matter. I'm in charge here, Robin. If I want you to wear a mask, you will wear one. Right now, however, I do not. Remove your mask, Robin."

"What? No way in hell!"

Robin crossed his arms, making no move to take off his mask. No way would he let Slade know his identity.

"Don't argue me on this, boy." Slade spoke in a calm, yet terrifying voice, almost making Robin shiver.

Robin turned to face the opposite direction, making it clear he wasn't going to obey the man. He flinched as he heard Slade's chair scrape against the floor as he stormed around to him. Robin had no time to escape before the man gathered both his wrists in a vice like grip. The fingers of his other hand crept towards the edge of his domino mask causing Robin to struggle.

"No!"

Slade paid no mind to him as in one swift motion he tore Robin's mask from his face.

Clamping his eyes shut, Robin internally panicked.

_Oh no! Not good! Slade is gonna find out my identity and use it against Bruce. Dammit! I should never have got captured in the first place._

He felt the man's breath against his ear as he whispered.

"Open your eyes _Richard. _That's an order."

Dick's eyes instantly snapped open in time to see the man sit back down in his seat. Slade knew the whole time? How could that be possible? What else did he know?

"Good boy."

If Richard hadn't been so gob smacked, he would have had plenty to say in response to that, but the only thing that came to mind was one question. Well, two questions, but they were related.

"How did you find out? How long?"

The man smirked visibly.

"It wasn't hard, Dick. Bruce Wayne was always one of my main suspects, and when you came along, poor little orphan Dick Grayson, and Robin appeared too, it wasn't hard to put the two together." He paused to allow his words to set in. "As for how long? I began looking into you after our first encounter. A few days later, a had my name."

The boy sighed, slumping in his chair, choosing to stare at the table rather than look at Slade any longer. Even though the man knew his identity, Dick still didn't feel comfortable being mask less around him.

"Richard, sit up straight." The man ordered as wintergreen walked over with two plates full of bacon, eggs, sausage, and every other thing you would expect to see in a full cooked breakfast. Dick was actually pretty surprised when one of the plates was set in front of him. He figured Slade would starve him.

"_Now._" The man added when Dick made no move to obey him. With a loud sigh, he shifted so he was sitting up straight. The man seemed satisfied, as he left the subject at that, much to Dick's relief and began eating.

He sat their awkwardly until Wintergreen moved and sat down opposite him, with a plate of his own.

"Eat up, my boy, you must be hungry, missing dinner last night." His eyes scanned Dick's frame. " And My, you're much too small as it is."

Richard flushed a deep shade of red. He wasn't too small, he had an acrobatic build for crying out loud! You couldn't have a big acrobat!

Dick looked down at his plate and picked up his fork, starting to shovel it around the plate.

Slade lowered his fork and glared at him, making Dick squirm under his gaze.

"Richard, you are 16, not six. Stop playing with your food and eat it." He scolded in a way a father would talk to his young son.

" I'm not eatin' anything you give me. I don't know what you could have laced it with."

Slade gave an exasperated sigh, as if Dick was being a brat. _Him! _Being a brat! It was _Slade _who had kidnapped him.

"If I wanted you dead, boy, you would be dead already. I would have killed you before bringing you here, and I certainly wouldn't do it using Will's magnificent cooking. _Eat."_

Richard hesitated before taking a mouthful. He _was _hungry, and he wasn't sure when he would get his next meal.

Dick was silent for the rest of the meal, only vaguely aware of the two men casually discussing things as if he wasn't there. It didn't bother him though. He'd rather be _anywhere _else. He actually hoped that if he was quiet enough, the ground would swallow him whole. That would be better than it's alternative.

He finished half the meal quickly and immediately stood up, and turned to exit the room.

"Going somewhere, young man?" Slade spoke without even looking over at him.

Dick turned around to face the man who was now reading a newspaper.

"Back to my cell." He retorted with a bitter tone.

The man set down his paper and turned his attention to Dick, his lone eye narrowing in annoyance.

"Firstly, it is not your _cell _it is your _bedroom." _The man corrected sternly. " Secondly, I don't believe I gave you permission to leave the table. _Sit down _and finish your breakfast." He waited a few moments for the boy to comply before adding, "_Now."_

"You know what? I'm sick of you telling me what to do! You narcissistic, manipulative Assh-"

Richard was cut off as a hand was clamped around his throat and proceeded to drag him out of the room.

"Slade I-" Wintergreen started.

"Not now Will. It seems my dear apprentice is eager to start his training." Slade dismissed him.

If it wasn't for the hand restricting his speech, Dick would have had several colourful replies to Slade's last statement. He clawed at the man's hand, desperately trying to make him loosen his grip, to no avail. Slade was just too strong.

It was only a matter of seconds before Slade dropped him onto the ground and stepped several feet away, hands clasped behind his back.

"Cussing will not be tolerated, Richard. Neither will blatant disrespect." Slade said in an eerily calm tone, as Richard gasped for air. He waited a few moments for Richard to reply before continuing. "Now, you seem like you need to blow off some steam. _Get up __."_

The man then got into a fighting stance, waiting for the boy. As soon as Richard stood up, Slade was on him, delivering a powerful punch to his stomach, knocking the air out of him once more as he doubled over.

" You need to be quicker. _prepared. _Your enemy won't wait for you to be ready, boy."

Having Slade lecture him did the trick. He snapped and charged at him. He pivoted and aimed a powerful roundhouse kick at the man's midsection. Slade caught his ankle with ease, and sweep kicked his other leg, knocking him down before placing his steel boot down on the boy's chest with enough pressure to keep him there.

"Predictable."

No matter how much he tried, Dick couldn't budge with Slade pinning him, and that only fuelled his anger.

As soon as Slade removed his boot, Richard leapt up, aiming his fist at Slade. Slade, once again, caught his attack, swiftly twisting his arm painfully behind his back.

"You're fighting with your anger, Dick. You do that and you become irrational, making it all that much easier for you to be taken down." As if to emphasise his point, he twisted the boy's arm ever so slightly further in order to force him to his knees. "In this position you are completely at your assailant's mercy. If they are stronger than you, they could break your arm in an instant, so you do _not_ want to land yourself in this position. _understand?"_

Richard grit his teeth in pain. Surely Slade wouldn't break his arm, would he? He figured that it would be in his own best interest to play along with the man's game. For now at least. He really didn't want a broken arm. It would make his escape much more difficult.

"Yes _Sir._" He spat the title with as much venom as he could possibly muster. Slade didn't seem to care, as long as the boy used the title. Seemingly satisfied, he released Dick's arm.

As soon as he felt to pressure on his arm be uplifted, Dick moved to rub his sore arm. That had hurt. A lot. It would hurt even more in the morning too. He had been there for less than 24 hours and already he was sick of the place.

"Get up and try again."

0000000

Dick wasn't sure how long they had been at it before Slade finally called an end to the session, but by the end, the boy was covered in sweat, and panting for air. Slade on the other hand, hadn't even broken a sweat. That alone, annoyed Dick to no end. It was as if the man wasn't even trying and he _still _managed to beat him.

It was degrading.

He had lost track of how long they were sparring after the first hour, and by sparring, he meant Slade constantly catching Dick's attacks and turning them against him. He hadn't managed a single hit! That wasn't what frustrated him the most though. It was the constant lecturing. He snapped several times throughout the session, resulting in powerful backhands from the mercenary

It was clear that in all his previous encounters the man had been holding back, letting him hit him. Even now he was holding back, choosing to restrain Dick, rather than ruthlessly beat him, which after last night, he knew the man was very capable.

"You did well, for your first day." The man started, tossing Dick a bottle of water, who in turn, pressed the cool plastic bottle against his forehead to cool him down, before opening it and downing its content. "Obviously we have areas in which we need to focus on, namely your temper, and stubbornness. Throughout our little spar, you went out of your way to disregard my advice."

"I don't need your advice. I'm fine on my own. I always have been."

"_Really? _because _I_ won that fight, Richard." He walked over and took Dick's chin into his hand. Naturally the boy went to pull away, but the man held him firmly in place, maintaining eye contact. "I am older, and far more experienced than yourself. You could learn a lot under my guidance, but you have to be willing to listen, understand? I tell you to do something, assume it's for your own good and do it. Believe it or not but I _do _have your best interests in mind."

He waited for the answer that never came, choosing to let the boy dwell on his words instead,

"Shower up and report to the main room."

The boy held back a sigh. He had never trained so hard in his life, and right now all he wanted to do was sleep. A shower would be nice though.

000000

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly. After showering and changing Richard met Slade in the main room where he was introduced to the basics of electronics. Dick had received several electrical burns, due to his lack of skill, tending to shock himself rather than actually create a circuit.

Slade had stayed calm for the most part. It seemed that the man was quite patient when it came to teaching. It was disrespect and misbehaviour that made the man mad, both of which, Richard chose not to do.

He did as Slade said to the best of his ability, as robotics was clearly not his forte. Slade seemed to sense that, going through each step with him at a slow pace and by the end of their two hour lesson he had actually managed to create a simple circuit that when fully connected turned on a small bulb. It wasn't much of an achievement, but it was a start.

They had then moved on to hacking. Hacking, Richard could do. He was brilliant at it. He thought he knew everything there was about that particular subject. He was wrong. Slade had set up a system that he couldn't, for the life of him, hack into.

Slade began to teach him more advanced techniques and started to refine the skills he already had. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't been interested.

If Slade wasn't a sociopath mercenary, Dick would have seriously considered learning from him.

No, his behaviour wasn't a sign he was breaking.

He was playing it smart. As soon as Slade let his guard down, even just the slightest bit, Dick would make his move.

He would get the hell out of there.


End file.
